by Sam, age 9 from Savannah, Georgia, asks Santa about the movie A Christmas Story, the Savannah River, and Christmas becoming a US holiday.
Sam from Savannah, Georgia
Dear Santa,
My name is Sam, and I am nine years old. I live in Savannah, Georgia, where the old town squares get strung with lights every December, and my grandma says our city has been decorating that same way since before cars existed.
Dear Sam, Savannah’s squares glowing under old oak trees might be one of the prettiest sights in the whole American South, your grandma has excellent taste in hometowns.
I hope you and the reindeer are resting, because my grandma says the workshop must be running at full speed this close to Christmas.
Full speed exactly describes it, Sam, though the reindeer insist on their afternoon naps no matter how busy things get.
Santa, I have some important questions.
First, what is the Christmas Story? My dad watches a movie by that name every year but I never really understood what happens in it.
It follows a boy named Ralphie growing up in the 1940s who wants nothing in the world except a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, while everyone around him, his parents, his teacher, even me in the movie, keeps warning him he will shoot his eye out. It is a funny, warm story about the small, big dreams of being a kid at Christmastime, which is why your dad probably watches it every single year.
Second, is it true a big river runs right past our city?
It is true, Sam, the Savannah River runs along the edge of your city and forms the border between Georgia and South Carolina. I always follow it in for a smooth landing among those famous squares.
Third, do you like Christmas lights on old buildings, since ours are really old here?
Very much, Sam, string lights against old brick and iron balconies might be one of my favorite combinations anywhere on my whole route.
Fourth, my teacher says Christmas was not always an official holiday in America. Is that true?
It is true, Sam. Christmas did not become an official federal holiday in the United States until 1870, even though families had been celebrating it in their own ways for a long time before that. It is a good reminder that even old traditions had to start somewhere, and that a holiday becoming official does not change the kindness at its center.
Fifth, do you like pecan pie, since my grandma makes one every Christmas?
Deeply, Sam, a good Southern pecan pie might be one of the most requested treats on my entire route through Georgia.
I also have some follow-up questions.
Do the reindeer like Spanish moss on the trees?
They find it curious, mostly by trying to nibble it before I remind them it is not hay.
Is Savannah one of the oldest cities in America?
It is, Sam, founded back in 1733, one of the oldest planned cities in the whole country.
Do you visit the riverfront too?
Every year, the lights along the water make for one of my favorite approaches into the city.
Do Southern kids leave you sweet tea instead of milk?
Quite a few do, and I have developed a genuine appreciation for it, properly sweet, of course.
Thank you for reading my letter, Santa. My grandma checked my spelling but the questions are mine.
Your grandma raised a curious letter writer, Sam. Keep noticing the old stories under your city’s oak trees, history like that is worth holding onto. Merry Christmas to your whole family.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Sam Whitfield
Savannah, Georgia
P.S. Can you make sure I do not accidentally shoot my eye out with anything this year?
I will do my very best, Sam, though that warning has followed nearly every gift list since 1983.
